READING COMPREHENSION PRACTICE 2- POETRY

	Growing pains
	My child-eyes cried for chocolate treats And sticky sweets ‘Twill rot yu’ teet’!
	Tinkly silver wrapper hides
5	Germs Worms Decay How can a child eye see?
	This child-heart cried for mid-teen love
10	A blow, a shove Study yuh’ book! Leather jacket Football boots Are not the most sought-after truths
15	How can a child’s heart know? So watch the young girl’s heart take wing! Watch her groove And watch her swing She’s old enough
20	She’s strong and tough She’ll see beneath the silver wrapper Beneath the flashy football boots She’ll find the great sought-after truth That child-eye tears are not as sad
25	And child-heart pain is not as bad As grown-up tears and grown-up pain Oh Christ, what do we have to gain From growing up For throwing up
30	Our childlike ways For dim Disastrous Grown-up days. ANITA

Questions

(a) (i)Who is likely to have said the following lines:

‘Twill rot yu’ teet’! (line 3) and Study yu’ book! (line 11)

(ii)What effect is the writer trying to create by using them?   (3 marks) 

(b) In what ways is the content of the first two stanzas (lines 1 – 15) similar?      (3 marks)

(c) Why does the poet refer to leather jacket (line 12) and; football boots (line 13)?   (2 marks) 

(d) Comment on the poet’s choice of the following words:

(i)Tinkly (line 4)

(ii)dim (line 31)   (2 marks) 

(e) What do the following lines,

She’ll see beneath the silver wrapper//

Beneath the flashy football boots … (lines 21 – 22) tell us about the young girl?            (2 marks) 

(f)What is suggested by the poet in the last seven lines (lines 27 – 33) of the poem? (2 marks) 

Total 14 marks

SAMPLE ANSWER